Rock drummer Tommy Lee has been cleared in a civil lawsuit over the drowning of a four-year-old boy in his swimming pool.

Mr Lee was sued for wrongful death by the parents of Daniel Karven-Veres, who died during a children's birthday party at his home in Malibu, California, in June 2001.

The couple had accused Mr Lee of failing to have the pool supervised and had no one available with life-saving or first aid skills.

But the jury in Santa Monica deliberated less than three hours before unanimously deciding that Lee was not
responsible for the drowning.

Jury foreman Howard Pollack said the panel had ruled out any negligence by Lee and found that others shared the blame.

Accidental death

Mr Lee, 40, former drummer with Motley Crue and ex-husband of actress Pamela Anderson, had told the court the drowning was "unfortunate" but he could not have been expected to watch every child at the party.

He said he did everything he could to ensure the safety of his son's guests - including requiring that they should have an adult there to supervise them.

Daniel was taken to the party by his German au pair, who later left the villa to attend a
concert and asked another nanny to watch the boy.

The boy, who could not swim, drowned about two hours later.

No criminal charges have been filed against Mr Lee. A coroner ruled that Daniel's death was accidental.

The boy's parents were seeking at least $10m in damages, reimbursement for medical care and funeral expenses.